The 5 Reasons We Still Love James Bond

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James Bond, the suave British intelligence agent who first
debuted as a film character 50 years ago, is back for a new
installment today (Nov. 9) called "Skyfall," which earned a
sterling 93 percent approval rate from critics, according to
RottenTomatoes.com.

Few characters, perhaps none, have withstood the passage of time
as well. According to film critic Bill Desowitz, author of the
book "James Bond Unmasked," the
James Bond film franchise is the longest-running continuous
franchise ever.

After all these years, why are we just as in love with Bond as we
were decades ago? Here are the top five reasons:

He's a badass

James
Bond is a hero through and through, and that includes not
being afraid of danger.

"Unlike Jason Bourne, James Bond knows exactly who he is," said
Bond expert John Cork, author of the book "James Bond: The
Legacy." "As human beings we are all filled with a certain level
of self doubt. Bond really doesn't embrace self doubt."

Plus, he's just plain cool.

"We all have terrible things that happen in our lives, and we
watch James Bond have these things and a few minutes later he's
making love to a beautiful woman, or he's making a joke," said
Cork, who recently worked on the special features for the 50th
Anniversary James Bond Blu-ray set.

He's classy

What sets Bond apart from other rough-and-tumble heroes is his
elegance. The man knows how to wear a tux, he knows cocktails
("shaken, not stirred"), and he certainly knows the art of
seduction.

Cork thinks this sophistication comes in part from the
character's creator, Ian Fleming, the former British naval
intelligence officer who penned the Bond series of books on which
the films are based, starting in 1953.

Fleming "imbued the character of James Bond with a very
particular British attitude that, as the British Empire was
crumbling and disappearing, summed up what the world loved most
about Britain," Cork said. "That core attitude, that unique
perspective, was so perfectly embodied in this character."

James Bond is exemplified not just by how he holds a gun, but by
how he gets his bespoke clothes tailored at Savile Row, how he
drives a hand-built sports car, knows how to make a perfect
hard-boiled egg, and cares deeply about the best kind of jam to
put on his morning toast. While we can't all be as smooth, Bond
taps into our lust for the good life.

He's tech-savvy

Another hallmark of James Bond is his
love for high-tech gadgets. While lots of later film heroes
have brandished futuristic guns and tricked-out cars, Bond
started the trend. And at the time the character of Bond was
created, technology wasn't nearly as popular or accepted as it is
today.

"One of the things that was revolutionary about James Bond as a
character was he was the first true pop culture hero that
embraced the power of technology," Cork said. "In most
science fiction at that time, technology was not to be trusted,
not to be allowed in human hands."

Bond, on the other hand, succeeds in part through his use of
newfangled gizmos given to him by "Q Branch," including jetpacks,
gyrocopters, exploding pens, and submersible cars with ejector
seats and machine guns that extend from its headlights. [ Top
5 Most Outrageous James Bond Gadgets ]

He's well-cast

Eight different actors have played the character of James Bond
over the ages, imbuing the spy with different moods, yet
maintaining his essential character.

Each of these actors, from Sean Connery, who originated the role,
to Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and now Daniel
Craig, has stayed true to Bond's inherent mix of toughness and
class.

"They were very careful to cast the right people at the right
time," Desowitz said.

Sean Connery, in particular, set the mold for the Bonds to
follow. He blended his rugged Scottish heritage with an essential
element of elegance to portray the debonair intelligence agent.

"I don't believe it would have lasted if they had cast anyone
besides Sean Connery," Desowitz said. "He was so unique. He was
in the Cary Grant mold, only rougher and even more dangerous."

He's timeless

Ultimately, Bond stands the test of time, because he has always
been both of his time and above it.

Though his core character is constant, Bond adapts to the time
period of his films, bending to meet the evolving desires of
audiences.

"The films have changed dramatically over that 50-year period,"
Cork said. "The Bond films went from being adventure-spy films,
to being outright comedies in the 1970s, and then they
transformed in the 1990s to make Bond relevant after the Cold
War. They created Bond in each generation's image."

With " Skyfall,"
the filmmakers were acutely aware of the need to honor the legacy
of Bond, but also establish the relevance of a '50s era spy
operating in a modern world.

"It was to me very clear that at some level the discussion at the
center of the movie is, what is the point of a secret service
[started during the Cold War] now, what is the point of Bond, and
therefore what is the point of Bond movies?" director Sam Mendes
told reporters in New York last month. "At its core is an
argument for all three."

Mendes said that part of the franchise's continued popularity has
to do with the values, such as trust, friendship, and courage, it
is based on.

"In a way, it's deeply old-fashioned in its values," Mendes said.
"But I think they never go out of date."